I Chronicles 4:1-23; 7:1-5,30-34; Genesis 46:13-26; 47;1-12

When Jacob finally got to Egypt, and he and his family were saved from the famine, Joseph didn’t just sit in his office and assume someone else was going to show his dad how to get to Goshen. Joseph went himself. He couldn’t wait to be reunited with his father, and share with him what he had received while living in Egypt.

Joseph, already a resident of Egypt, went to Pharaoh and prepared the way for his family’s transition. The Bible tells us that it was Joseph himself who settled his father and brothers in the best part of Egypt.

I think this is a picture of what the Church should look like. Think about this:

1. Joseph had been saved. First from slavery, then from the famine.
2. Joseph invited his family to join him.
3. They did.
4. Joseph stayed with them, and fed them until they were settled.

Are you with me? (1) We believers are like Joseph. We’ve been saved, we live in a blessed eternal kingdom and have everything we need in this life.

(2)Many Christians invite family and friends to join them. We share the Gospel, (3) and sometimes they do join us by receiving Jesus as their own. I think the Church is pretty good at the first three things on the list above.

I’m a bit concerned about the fourth point, however. When we lead someone to the Savior, do we stick with them until they are settled in their new-found faith? Evangelism doesn’t stop at salvation. Discipleship needs to follow. And we who have inhabited God’s Kingdom for a time need to be nurturing, feeding, encouraging new believers until they are rooted and firm in their faith.

And maybe beyond that.

Joseph wanted to be the one to lead his family to Goshen. I pray that each of us will want to be the one who leads that new citizen of Christ’s Kingdom into a solid relationship with Jesus, and an understanding of God’s Word so that they are ready to do the same for other new believers when the time comes.